BILLINGS, Mont. - The Alaska Nanooks cross country running teams battled the snowy elements and both finished eighth place at the 2019 GNAC Cross Country Championships at Amend Park in Billings, Montana on Oct. 26. Western Washington swept the day by winning both the men's and women's races.
The women led the day off with their 6k-race. Alaska's top finisher was Alexandria Bergholtz who took home a 35
th place finish with a time of 23:45.00, averaging a 6:22/M pace through the race. Following close behind for Alaska was
Anja Maijala, who placed 43
rd with a time of 24:12.60.
Noelle Resignolo Mariel Pulles and
Maggie Meeds came next. Resignolo placed 50
th with a time of 24:47.50, Pulles ended at 62
nd after a time of 25:38.40 and Meeds was 68
th with a time of 26:00.90.
Sarah Olson and
Rya Berrigan rounded out the race for the Nanooks grabbing 65
th and 67
th place, finishing 14 seconds apart with times of 26:25.10 and 26:39.40. These finishes gave Alaska 244 team points and an eighth place team finish.
The men raced after the women and competed in an 8k-race. The Nanooks men's cross country running team grabbed eighth place with 242 total points.
Jacob Walsh led the way for the Nanooks, finishing 26
th overall with a time of 26:20.30, averaging a pace of 5:20/M. Next up for the 'Nooks was
Lukash Platil, who crossed the line with a time of 26:33.70, good enough to claim 33
rd place.
Jack Matherly,
Mike Ophoff and
Zephan Ozturgut finished the day for the 'Nooks as Matherly claimed 61
st place with a time of 27:16.70, Ophoff finished 68
th place, running the race in 27:44.00 and Ozturgut was the final Nanook to cross the line, taking 80
th behind a time of 28:41.90.
Acting head coach Eliska Albrigtsen had this to say after her teams performance and year, "The goal for the Nanooks this season was to finish stronger than last year ... a fighting spirit and fresh attention of our new assistant coach Jon supporting both the men's and women's teams helped us reach their goal and finsihs higher up in the final standings this year! The GNAC season is done, however, we have six men and two women going to the Regional Championship in Oregon in the second week of November. Looking into the future, we strive to recruit a full team of runners for next season to strengthen our ranks even more."
The Nanooks will transition into their Nordic Cross Country schedule with the conclusion of their running season. On Nov. 1, they will hold Ski-Fest in the UAF Wood Center at 6:30 p.m. with food, music and more being provided to celebrate the end of one cross country season and the beginning of the next.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks cross country team, follow @AlaskaNanooksXC on Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks Cross Country team page on Facebook.
